Gravity Rush, which launched today in Japan for PlayStation Vita, started development as a PlayStation 3 title called “Gravite,” a behind-the-scenes report from Dengeki (via NeoGAF) has revealed.

Game director Keiichiro Toyama proposed Gravite to Sony in April 2008 as a retail “gravity action” title aimed at the core audience, which would be extended through post-release, downloadable episodes.

Gravite was developed for PlayStation 3 through 2009 and 2010. The first concept video created for internal purposes was shown in January 2009. An imageboard presentation was put together in January 2010.

Of course, as any game’s development goes, character’s change. Here’s a look at some of the earlier to final designs for Kat and Raven:

And some town and civilian artwork:

The article does not mention why the game switched development to PlayStation Vita, but we can only assume that budget, or having a new IP ready for new hardware, played an important role.

It’s obvious they made the change just because they needed something to pad the vita launch title, now well get a game with inferior quality for that : (

They could at least release it on PSN!

http://www.gametrailers.com/factions/FoKHF/?action=news DarthXehanort

@mye89: Why do you falsely assume that the game lost quality? This game’s concept is a perfect fit for the PSVita. To me, it looks like they switched platforms because the PSVita allowed them to make the game better.

Don’t be such a pessimist; try to be a realist.

mye89

@mye89: Well because the PS3 is a more powerful machine… yeah that pretty much explain by itself why it’ll be a worse game, I could go on by adding that now we’ll be forced to play it on a smaller screen, but that’s really just beating a dead horse. There just is absolutely nothing you can’t do with a gamepad that you could do with a touchscreen.

Which BTW, is being a realist, being an optimist is thinking something is better than it actually is, or in this case, that PS vita > PS3.

http://www.gametrailers.com/factions/FoKHF/?action=news DarthXehanort

@mye89: @mye89: Logical fallacies. The fact that the PS3 is more powerful (not that the difference is all that big) does not mean that Gravity Rush would have exploited that. In fact, looking at the team, game, etc., it is so highly unlikely as to be a negligible factor in platform choice. Both platforms are more than powerful enough for this.

Also, to be honest, the “small screen” argument is false, unless you plan on playing for an audience. Because you hold the handheld so much closer to your face than you place a television in relation to yourself, the actual amount of your vision consumed by the screen is essentially equivalent and can be easily adjusted by the slight movement of your arms.

Also, your allegation that gamepads can do anything touchscreens can do is false. There are a multitude of touch-based games which wouldn’t work or wouldn’t work as well with a gamepad. Take any game which requires drawing, for example. Kirby’s Canvas Curse is a good DS example. Some games which don’t necessitate touchscreen controls are still much better with them. We’ll use the famous Angry Birds as an example.

Again, you’re being a pessimist and attempting to argue with fallacies. I’m just being a realist. I’m not being an optimist; I simply analysed the facts at a level which you refused to do. I can’t claim to know what is best for the game, and neither can you. We can, however, perform a good analysis of merits and demerits.

If you want someone who does know for certain, look for a developer of the game. You know, the people who make the game and personally chose the PSVita as the optimal platform for the game.

mye89

@DarthXehanort: You call them fallacies, there not. You claim, out of absolutely nowhere, that the developer would have not use the full power of the PS3, and no both platform are not powerful enough for that, that’s like saying you shouldn’t need a car because your leg are good enough to walk you anywhere.

I think most people would agree that’s its more agreeable to play on a TV, but again that was just icing on the cake, was absolutely unnecessary, my argument was fully made up with point 1.

And again any game mechanic that touchscreen had can be replicated by a gamepad, it might take a bit longer to get used to it, say 10 minute, but after that you’ll be doing just about anything needed from a game, unless gravity rush ask you to write or drawn for some reason.

Plus I highly doubt that the developer willingly decided to change platform, most game that are exclusive for a company are essentially done by 1st party developer, so Sony just came down and said make it for PS vita or get out of here, they’ll never admit it, but that must be it. But again even if it’s wrong point number still stand tall and strong.

With such a fallacious argument, going by the book, I really don’t owe you a response at all. I’m trying to be understanding, though. I’m just here to point out some different approaches to thinking about this issue. Let’s break down the points (I won’t go after the fallacies again; I already did that at the beginning of this post).

1. The “full power” of the PS3 is an abstract, anyway. There are constantly ways to better utilise the hardware for “more power.” Let’s take a look at some things we know, though. Look at the team making the game; it is not a set of developers known for pushing technology to its limits, nor one even interested in pushing technology to its limits. In fact, the team is rather small for that. Then, let’s look at the type of game they’ve aimed to create. More generalisations can be made based on that. Going further yet, Gravity Rush isn’t even using the “full power” of the PSVita; Uncharted: Golden Abyss beat it to release and is a much more impressive technical effort. Why would the studio’s technological push magically shift so enormously simply because of a difference in platform? Keep in mind that programming for the PS3 and PSVita aren’t very different processes.

2. Don’t make a point if you don’t want a response to it. Neither of us are going to speak for “most of the people” on this one; we lack the relevant statistics. Besides, “most of the people” aren’t even aware Gravity Rush exists. It’s a moot point. The developers will find their niche.

3. Hashed replication doesn’t mean equality. Angry Birds is a very simple and famous game, so I’ll use it as my example. That game can be played via other control schemes, such as on the PC and on the PSP. It is generally considered to be at its most satisfying on a touch screen, however. We both mentioned drawing, which is an unavoidable advantage to the existence of a touch screen. Touchscreens can also allow for instant targeting. For example, a rhythm game can be played, with the player hitting bubbles with his/her fingers. This is a more instant response than what is received in moving the analogue stick to get a cursor to move from one bubble to another. Buttons can more accurately replace the fingers in that specific example, but that lacks a visceral element of the touch-based rhythm. The reason I use rhythm games as an example is that Gravity Rush operates in this way; the player must target surfaces. Another example is gesture-based gameplay. Consider Fruit Ninja; it is actually impossible to play with a traditional control scheme. The game itself would have to be redesigned dramatically for buttons and analogue sticks. Consider other gestures, like pinching to zoom in, and spreading to zoom out. One of the PSVita’s greatest strengths is that it has buttons, analogue sticks, a touchscreen, a touchpad, front/rear cameras, and motion control, allowing for a best-of-all-worlds approach to game control. Developers are free to choose what works best.

4. Your logic on this one could apply to some publishers, but it doesn’t work well at all with Sony. As a publisher, it is known for giving developers enormous freedom (for better, or for worse). A project like Gravity Rush is a particularly free one, being a new IP and coming from Japan Studios. Given the history and policies which we understand, we can feel secure in deducting that the developers made the choice to switch platforms.

Note: If there are any typos here, or if anything is unclear, do let me know upfront. I’m actually quite tired right now. Thank you.

KingKelloggTheWaffleHaggler

@mye89: I dont see why so many people are SO against it being on ps3 =\

It should be up to the developers. They chose the PSVita. Regardless of the reasons, it is what they believe is best for the game.

KingKelloggTheWaffleHaggler

@DarthXehanort: Well for me its the fact that I despise handhelds,and it feels like a waste to just use such a tiny little screen when I have a nice big one right in front of me!

I agree that the choice should be 100% up to the devs,but it doesnt mean I like the choice they make

All I want is a ps3 port,using move or something,it wouldnt take away from the Psv version,if anything it would get more funds to the team since so many people dont like handhelds.

http://chaosraiden.blogspot.com/ Chaos Raiden

It is a shame to see that this game is not released on PS3 as retail or digital releases.

http://www.gametrailers.com/factions/FoKHF/?action=news DarthXehanort

@Chaos Raiden: How is it a shame? This is fantastic; we’re getting the chance to look behind the scenes and see how a project switched platforms for the sake of new features and quality. It also helps us to see just how easy it is to switch development from one platform to the other.

Genesis

Honestly, going with the Vita was a great choice. The game looks absolutely beautiful and the engine on the Vita is pretty solid. I love how they implemented the touch controls so I am pretty happy with this.